Full Circle: Utilizing
Assessment to Guide Faculty
p
Initiatives
Development
Kevin Clarke
Dan Friedman
Stuart Hunter
University 101 at the
University of South Carolina
• 80% of first-year class enrolls annually, capping
sections at 19 in fall 2012
• 3 credit, letter graded course
• Taught by faculty, staff, and administrators
• Extended orientation with academic skills component
– Foster Academic Success
– Help Students Discover and Connect with
Carolina
– Prepare Students for Responsible Lives in a
Diverse, Interconnected World
Relevance
eXcellence
Faculty Development
&
Assessment
Definition of Faculty
Development
Faculty development is both a
comprehensive term that covers a range of
activities ultimately designed to improve
student learning and a less broad term that
describes a purposeful attempt to help faculty
improve their competence as teachers and
scholars.
--- Eble & McKeachie (1985)
1
Definition of Faculty
Development
An instructional process which seeks to modify
the attitudes,, skills,, and behavior of facultyy
members toward greater competence and
effectiveness in meeting learner needs, their
own needs, and the needs of the institution.
3 Areas of Faculty
Development
• Individual Development
• Instructional Development
• Organizational
O
i i
lD
Development
l
A common goal: the development of the fullest
potential of existing institutional resources and
structures by viewing and using them in creative ways.
--Francis (1975, p. 720)
--POD Network, 2011
--Groccia & Hunter, 2012
Friedman, 2012
2
Assessment Methods
•
•
•
•
•
Faculty Survey
End of Course Evaluation
First-Year Initiative Survey
Direct Measures
Qualitative Methods
Faculty Survey
• Colleague Clusters Feedback
• Building Connections Conference
– Topics of interest/need
– Created program proposal process
• Formative Feedback for Campus
Partner Presentations
• Faculty Resource Manual/SharePoint
Faculty Survey
• Administered to all instructors who teach the
course.
• Focuses on instructor perceptions of support,
faculty development events, and resources
• Asked questions regarding:
– Current faculty development efforts
– Course textbook and supplemental texts
– Effectiveness of peer/graduate leader
End of Course Evaluations
• Administered in class to all students
enrolled in the course.
• Questions regarding satisfaction with:
– Instructor
– Course
– Peer/Graduate Leader
3
End of Course Evaluations
• Summative Feedback
– Understand the student experience
– Drives areas of focus and improvement
efforts
• Quality Control
– From the results we are able to create a
factor that allowed us to identify our lowest
and highest performing sections.
First-Year Initiative Survey
First-Year Initiative Survey
• National benchmarking instrument
• Measures effectiveness of first-year seminar
• 15 factors, such as: study skills, usefulness of
course readings
readings, engaging pedagogies
pedagogies, and
connection with faculty and peers.
• Administered at end of fall semester
– Online
– Each instructor receives customized report
– Comparison of sections
Priority Matrix – National Findings
• Informs whole model and gives insight
on areas for future focus
• Building Connections Conference
– Keynote & plenary session
– Breakout sessions
• Identify top performers to submit
materials for Faculty Resource Manual
and SharePoint
4
Predictors of Effectiveness – National Findings
Assessing Educational Methods
• Compare methods to determine if one
approach is better than another
Direct Measure of Information
Literacy
• Based on ACRL standards
• Developed
p with campus
p p
partners
• Distributed to random sample of
sections
• Shared pre-test data to customize
teaching
• Overhauled FRM chapter
Qualitative Feedback
•
•
•
•
Student Advisory Council
Former Student Survey
Task Forces and Committees
Faculty Meetings
5
Lessons from the Road
• Enlist the help of campus experts
• Triangulate your data
• Assessment and faculty development
should focus on the things that matter
most and make the largest impact
• Can’t do everything all of the time
• One size doesn’t fit all
Contact Information
Dan Friedman
[email protected]
Stuart Hunter
[email protected]
Kevin Clarke
[email protected]
www.sc.edu/univ101
University 101 Programs
1728 College Street
Columbia, South Carolina 29208
(803) 777-6029
6
University 101 Programs
Annual Professional Development Plan
Syllabus Prep
Workshops
Teaching Experience
Workshop
(January or May)
Fall Faculty Meetings
(April)
Faculty
Resource
Manual
SharePoint
Lessons from the
Road Workshops
Colleague
Cluster
Summer Workshop
Series
(June-July)
Building
Connections
Conference
(May)
Teaching Experience Workshop: Required as a prerequisite to teaching University 101, this 3-day workshop provides the
prospective instructor valuable insights into the development of a University 101 syllabus, the fundamental areas of instruction
for the course, strategies for active learning, the various campus resources designed for student success, and the unique
opportunity to hear from other University 101 instructors as they share their experiences and recommendations for teaching
within the program. The Teaching Experience Workshop is offered in January and May when classes are in recess.
Syllabus Preparation Workshops: These workshops provide an opportunity for instructors, peer leaders, and graduate leaders
to determine and share effective strategies for achieving the common goals and learning outcomes. Important assessment
information is shared about factors leading to a successful seminar experience, and new policies, requirements, or
recommendations are discussed. Attendees begin developing their syllabus while exchanging ideas and resources with
colleagues. Additionally, these workshops are a time for co-instructors to begin developing teaching relationships and planning
for their fall responsibilities.
Building Connections Conference: This annual one-day conference, held in May, serves as the major faculty development effort
for all University 101 instructors. We recognize that faculty need ongoing and regular opportunities to learn new strategies for
achieving course outcomes, to share ideas and best practices, and to place their work in a larger context. Content for this
conference is based on the results of fall course evaluation and assessment results.
Summer Workshop Series: Throughout the summer, individual workshops are held on topics of interest to UNIV 101
instructors. Many of these workshops are repeated from the Building Connections Conference so that instructors who could not
attend during the conference have the opportunity to attend additional sessions.
Faculty Meetings: These meetings, held throughout the fall semester, provide an opportunity for instructors to share ideas and
learn from each other. It is also important for the University 101 staff to meet regularly with our faculty to provide important
announcements, communicate and clarify expectations, and to discuss emerging issues.
Lessons from the Road Workshop Series: These workshops are held twice a semester to introduce instructors to active learning
strategies and engaging lesson plans available in the Faculty Resource Manual, with the goal to assist instructors in enhancing
their facilitation skills and adding new activities/lesson plans to their toolbox. Facilitators bring activities and lesson plans to life
by demonstrating how to effectively facilitate the activities/lesson plans in the UNIV 101 classroom.
Colleague Clusters: Small groups of 5-6 instructors serve as a support team for each other and share ideas, successes, and
resources with the team. Groups might review syllabi and make recommendations for improvements, prepare for First-Year
Reading Experience by hosting a book discussion prior to the event; meet regularly to share ideas, assignments, lesson plans,
etc; discuss difficult classroom situations and successes; observe each other’s classrooms for ideas and feedback; and interpret
evaluation results.
SharePoint: This intranet provides a forum for discussion, a place to share resources, and a mechanism for distributing
information. Instructors can access electronic course materials, such as videos, PowerPoint presentations, etc. We also provide
an electronic version of the Faculty Resource Manual, which allows instructors to make changes to activities and handouts to
customize for their needs. Other features of this site include a discussion board for sharing ideas and a comprehensive calendar,
with important University 101 dates (faculty meetings, workshops, etc), academic calendar (drop/add, semester breaks), and
USC dates (involvement fair, etc).
Faculty Resource Manual: Designed by the University 101 staff and campus partners at the University of South Carolina, this
resource manual provides instructional faculty with a how-to guide for designing, managing, teaching, and evaluating student
work in the first-year seminar. The manual includes a detailed discussion of course management that offers suggestions for
working with first-year students, designing a syllabus, establishing grading policies, building community in the classroom, and
working with a peer leader. Chapters on topics and outcomes common to first-year seminars offer resources for students and
suggested assignments and classroom activities.
Clarke, K. C., Friedman, D. F., & Hunter, M. S. (2012, February 20). Full circle: Utilizing assessment to guide faculty development initiatives. 31st Annual
Conference on The First-Year Experience, San Antonio, Texas.